The Valley of Unrest
by EbonyIvoryy
Summary: Mei really likes Dandelions, but she likes one thing a little bit more... AlMei / Fluff / Post-Manga&Brotherhood. Inspired from poem by Edgar Allan Poe.


**A/N: **For some reason, AlMei is not very loved on . :-/ I am here to show it some love! That, and it was requested. Whenever I thought of this shipping, I thought of nature - or something pretty and mystical... x'DD And thus, this muse came to life. Think I failed at making Alphonse or Mei OOC? Let me know, please! I'm trying as hard as I can~!

**Disclaimer:** I am not a cow with glasses. If so, that would be pimpin'.

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Inspired by a poem;

**_The Valley of Unrest_**

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As a little girl, Mei Chang fell in love with flowers. The way they smelt, the way the petals felt against her fingertips. Even roses, and it's prickly thorns that made the red flowers seem so untouchable. They were rare in Xing. However, daisies were very common. Tiny Mei used to bend down and admire tiny red ladybugs as they crawled to the yellow center of the flower. She could sit there for days, watching as it enriched in the nectar.

Still, there was one flower that she adored the most.

Dandelions. With it's hundreds small white florets - all connected to one seed head and thick green stem. She has never seen such a thick stem on a flower before, piercing her with it's grassy camouflage. What did she like so much about these simple flowers? They weren't colorful like Lillies, Sunflowers, and Tulips. They didn't smell of something luxurious like Honeysuckles. So why? Was it that they were so very delicate? That they could fall apart from the smallest gust of wind?

Alphonse thought of Mei as all of those things - fragile, delicate, yet so different from the others...

"Mei?", He called out for her one summer noon, "Meeeei? Where are you?"

For what seemed like eternity, Al continued on his search for the Xingese girl. He ran throughout the grasslands, hills, and creaks, but couldn't seem to find her. Now, he was starting to get worried.

"_Mei?_", Al shouted with nervousness.

Suddenly, a tiny familiar voice came echoing through his ears. "Alphonse, you silly. I'm right here!"

His sandy eyes shot down to beneath him. There Mei was, by his feet, giggling as she lied with grass tangled in her hair.

Al sighed, "You nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing?", He asked curiously, "Shouldn't we be studying?"

The young girl giggled some more, then hopped up to face him in a flash. She smiled and looked at him with Bambi eyes, "Can't we take a break? Just for a little while?"

The older boy tilted his head, "Break? Well I guess-"

"C'mon, _Alphonsee~!_", With that, Mei grabbed his hand and pulled him from the front yard. He blushed furiously as she did this, but she seemed so careless as she smiled and ran down a grassy hill - caressing his palm with hers.

"W-Wait, Mei! Where are we going?", The seventeen year old nearly tripped over the girl's skilled feet.

She only responded with a giggle...one that was like a beautiful harmony to his ears. Finally, she stopped abruptly.

"What are we-", Al cut himself off, taking notice of where they were.

In front of them, was an absolutely gorgeous, stunning, and breath-taking Dandelion field. It went on for miles, with a clear blue sky painted on top of this picture. Tiny little opaque feathers danced in the air. The sun gave off an orange light that skimmed the tip top of the grass. The place was like a valley of magic. Mei squealed, yanking on his hand once again and bringing him down the hill and to the field. He almost lost his balance a few times on the hill, pleading for the girl to slow down.

Finally they made it to the surface. Mei had both of Al's hands in her grasp, as she walked backwards while yanking him along. Her charcoal eyes peered up at the sky.

"Isn't it beautiful, Alphonse? I used to come here all the time when I was little.", She smiled at warm memories.

Al had never blushed so much in his life. His cheeks were tinted pink, feeling the softness of the girl's hand against his. He was too baffled to respond, and was fortunate to even stand.

"Isn't it, Al? Isn't it?", She looked down from the sky to meet his nervous eyes.

Mei then noticed the pink that tinged his cheeks, and smirked. "Ahh, I believe you're blushing, Mr. Elric!"

Alphonse's orbs widened, face reddened, and made an audible gulp.

"_Ohhhh, Alphonse!~_", She yelped in her typical fangirl fashion, bringing him closer with her hands and spinning him around, "You are flustered! I make Alphonse Elric flustered!"

"M-M-Mei we're gonna fall if you don't sto-!"

"_Eeeee!_", She squealed as they ungracefully plummeted to the warm grass.

...By the time the Chang heiress opened her eyes, she noticed something was strange. A rather heavy figure lie on top of her, and as she looked up, her dark iris met with gold. When she - or _they_ - noticed what was going on, more blush was produced. Alphonse's broad sleeved arms were on both sides of her head, his face only an inch from hers. His legs were settled in between hers, but they were both obviously too innocent to think of this position as 'dirty'.

Suddenly, the mood changed. It was like snow clearing up to a summer's day. Alphonse smirked with mirth heavy in his eyes, and all of a sudden, he bursted into laughter. Mei tilted her head and half-cocked an inquisitive eyebrow.

The boy finally explained through his chuckles, "Y-You...you have grass in your hair."

She wasn't convinced until he smiled warmly and took a few strands of grass, flicking them away, then pulled out a tiny dandelion from her bangs.

Alphonse showed her the dandelion between his fingers, chuckling, "See?"

She glanced down in a sheepish fashion. Sometimes, Al couldn't stand how adorable she was. With her heavenly giggles, childish expressions, and creamy white skin. Every piece of dandelion florets in her perpetual black hair made her perfection so perfectly imperfect. Moreover, there was no doubt that she had changed in the past two years. Her eyes, a little wiser. Her nose, a little sharper. Her hair, a little longer. Her heart, a little bigger. She has even grown an inch or two. Those million braids she used to wear were now two simple braids wrapped in a bun. Last but not as noticed, was the fact that her chest had developed a bit - showing that she was now growing into a young woman.

Realizing that he had been staring for far too long, Alphonse quickly got off of her and plopped to her side.

For days, months, years, the two stared up at the vast Xingese sky. The light blues indicated birth of a newborn; while the fluffy white clouds resembled it's cotton blanket. Light winds caressed their cheeks in a kind gesture.

"It's pretty here...", Alphonse proclaimed softly, "...in Xing."

Mei smiled to herself, "Isn't it? I used to spend all day when I was little just looking at the sky."

"Really?", Al was reminded of a fond memory, "I used to sit on the roof every night with my brother. We even used a telescope on the balcony. The sky holds brilliant wonders...sometimes, I wonder what's beyond those clouds..."

"Alphonse?", She turned her entire body on the grass toward the boy, laying her hand underneath her cheek in a goddess-type pose. He merely looked over, both arms crossed casually underneath his head. Her body was only inches from his, so her voice hit him like an echoing violin. "Do you believe in something? Like a god?"

He looked back up at the sky, pondering on her question. _Did he?_ It was true that his brother was not so religious, but did that mean that Al couldn't be?

"Well...", He finally replied, "...I do believe that there is a higher power. Somewhere out there."

There was a long, peaceful pause. Cicadas sang into the summer air, while Ladybugs crawled in the Earth's soil. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, or awkward, or even tense. It was relaxing and most definitely rejuvenating.

Finally, Al asked calmly with his eyes shut, "What about you, Mei? You believe in something?"

She thought for a second, then giggled. In between where Al and Mei lied, was a baby dandelion; it's white florets tickling the side of her pale arm. She reached a hand over to pick it from the grass, holding it above her so they could both see. She gazed at it, twirling the moist green stem between her two petite fingers.

"My God? My God is mother nature. The energy that flows beneath this Earth is what helps us live - it's what keeps life thriving. It gives us water, crops, plants, and shelter. Our planet is amazing, but not enough people seem to acknowledge it.", She said her answer as if it were so simple.

"And that's what keeps your chi with Alkahestry strong, right? The energy of the land?", For some reason, Alphonse took this as another lesson in the science that was not alchemy.

She nodded, "Yes. That is why the Xingese people don't build as many cities and civilizations. We appreciate this flow too much to ruin it with man's hands."

Sometimes, Al forgot that she was younger than him. Mei just seemed so mature...so wise.

Al blinked in awe when she blew on the dandelion, causing it to explode and dance away in the clean breeze.

"Did you make a wish?", He asked afterward.

"Hm?", She then looked over at the bare stem, "...Oops. I forgot..."

He chuckled and leaned over to reach for another dandelion. He picked it from it's home, and leaning on one arm while casting a shadow over the young Chang girl. Her cheeks flushed as he leaned over her - though his iris was on the flower rather than herself. Finally, their gazes met.  
Mei's dark hair went on for miles as it spread out in the grass, while Al's honey hair brushed against his cheeks; staring down at her.

"Do...you...wanna...make a...wish...?", Mei asked shakily through breaths.

The young man didn't respond. He only looked down at her as if she were a fragile doll that he guarded his life with. He just couldn't help it! Her cheek...it looked so _soft_...and _inviting_...

On sheer impulse, Alphonse slowly eased down...and placed a soft kiss...on the surface of her plush cheek.

Her heart froze in a deadly iceberg. His heart sped up like a furious horse. If they had kissed on the lips, they would've surely suffered heart attacks. When Alphonse pulled away, his eyes blinked in shock. Did he really just do that? Luckily, it didn't seem that she disapproved...if anything, she looked like she was enjoying herself.

The seventeen year old's lips tugged upward, before blowing on the dandelion's petals. The couple watched as the small white pieces floated off into the sky, as free as a bird.

...Yes, Dandelions are definitely Mei Chang's favorite flower.

_**Fin.**_

_~u~_

_Once it smiled a silent dell_  
_Where the people did not dwell;_  
_They had gone unto the wars,_  
_Trusting to the mild-eyed stars,_  
_Nightly, from their azure towers,_  
_To keep watch above the flowers,_  
_In the midst of which all day_  
_The red sun-light lazily lay,_  
_Now each visitor shall confess_  
_The sad valley's restlessness._  
_Nothing there is motionless—_  
_Nothing save the airs that brood_  
_Over the magic solitude._  
_Ah, by no wind are stirred those trees_  
_That palpitate like the chill seas_  
_Around the misty Hebrides!_  
_Ah, by no wind those clouds are driven_  
_That rustle through the unquiet Heaven_  
_Unceasingly, from morn till even,_  
_Over the violets there that lie_  
_In myriad types of the human eye—_  
_Over the lilies that wave_  
_And weep above a nameless grave!_  
_They wave:—from out their fragrant tops_  
_Eternal dews come down in drops._  
_They weep:—from off their delicate stems_  
_Perennial tears descend in gems._

_The Valley of Unrest_  
-Edgar Allan Poe_  
_


End file.
